Bonding cable terminal bracket



June 8, 1948..

H. A. ELKINS BONDING CABLE TERMINAL BRACKET Filed June 4, 1947 InventorHu ber/ A. El/rins Patented June 8, 1948 BONDING CABLE TERMINAL BRACKETHubert A. Elkins, Huntington, W. Va., assignor of one-half to Howard '1.Elkins, Midkiff, W. Va.

Application June 4, 1947, Serial No. 752,494

3 Claims.

This invention relates to track rail bonding cables and, moreparticularly, to improved brackets, fixtures and devices such as areused to electrically secure the opposite bridging ends of a currentconducting cable to adjacent end-to-end rail sections.

Under prevailing methods of track laying and installations, cableattaching and anchoring fixtures and clips are permanently welded orotherwise secured in place to stay and are therefore not detachable forneeded supplemental and reuse purposes. Therefore, the object of thisinvention is to provide a form of fixture wherein onehalf of theattaching means is permanently welded and the other half portion is freeof attachment in such a manner that it, in conjunction with acomplemental cable socket, may be pried loose, fractured, and brokenaway from the permanently anchored half, thus providing a socket havingduly salvaged attaching means which is available and adequate forwelding attachment to another rail section, for example, a track repairrail.

More specifically, another object of the invention is to provide asimple, economical and expedient fixture characterized by a suitableopen ended cable socket centrally integrated with an attaching meanswhich embodies twin flanges, these properly angled for selectiveattachment and practical re-use purposes.

In carrying out a preferred embodiment of the invention, I provide asimple and economical cable bonding fixture characterized by a onepiececasting or equivalent body comprising a pair of duplicate, but separate,selectively usable attaching flanges located at approximate right anglesto each other and an open-ended sleevelike socket which is heavily builtand integrated solidly with said flanges, that is, at the juncturalconnecting portions of said flanges, said junctional regions or portionsof said flanges being materially decreased in thickness to provide arelatively fragile area on each side of the socket, whereby to allow oneflange to be permanently welded to a part of the rail and the other leftfree of attachment to the adjacent part of the rail, all in the mannerhereinafter specifically described.

Other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent from thefollowing description and the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate likeparts throughout the views I Figure 1 is a perspective view of a railwaytrack section including abutting rails, a fishplate, a bonding cable,and, the improved fixtures, the latter constructed and attached inaccordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is an elevational View, on an enlarged scale, showing one endof the novel fixture;

Figure 3 is a like View of the opposite end; and

Figure 4 is a horizontal section on line 4-4 of Figure 3. v

Figure 5 is a vertical section on the line 55 of Figure 1, looking inthe direction of the arrows, and showing how the re-usable part of oneof the brackets is pried loose.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the manner in which asalvaged or reusable bracket is actually re-used.

Referring now to Figure 1 the rail sections are denoted by the referencecharacters A and B, the same being connected by a conventional fishplateC. The current conducting and bonding cable, which is also conventional,is denoted by the reference character D. The improved brackets orfixtures, which are employed as ancltjrs at the terminals of the cableare denoted by the numerals 5. Both brackets are the same and thedescription of one will sufilce for all.

The bracket is of one-piece construction and comprises a sleeve-likeopen ended socket 6 which, as shown in Figure 4 has a centralcylindrical portion 1, is bevelled at one end as at 8 to prevent unduechafing and wearing of the cable, and is formed with a flared bell-endat 9 for proper welding of the cable-end thereto.

The attaching means of the socket is denoted, as a unit by the numerall0 and comprises a base of general V-shaped form. This includes twin,selectively usable, flanges I! and 12 which are properly thinned, as atthe points [3, to provide the desired fragile and fracturable propertieswanted. The formation is such that the flanges may be broken off at thefracture area I4. It will be noted, in this connection, that the socketis seated in the central or crotch portion of the attaching base and hasa heavy shank l5 thus permitting either one of the flanges II and I2 tobe broken off in an obvious manner.

Novelty is predicated not only on the brackets 5 per se but also on thebrackets in conjunction with the bonding cable and further incombination with the track rails. For example, and as shown in Figure 1,it will be seen that the invention, on the one hand, has to do with apair of end-to-end rails A and B, a fish-plate C bridging and joiningsaid rails, a bonding cable D and a pair of duplicate cable anchoringfixtures or brackets attached to the ends of the bonding cable, eachfixture embodying a relatively heavy open ended sleeve which functionsas a socket, the end portions of the cable being securely mounted in therespective sockets. Each fixture embodies a pair of individual attachingflanges, the inner ends of the flanges It. and 12 being integrated withthe coacting portion of the socket 6, said inner ends being relativelythin, as at the points I3, and the outer end or edge portions beingrelatively thick, the thin portions being frangible to permit forciblefracturing of the same, corresponding flanges ll of said fixtures beingsecurely welded tothe web portions of said rails A and B and theremaining flanges l2 resting upon the base flanges F but being free ofattachment.

With the arrangement stated, and as shown in Figure 5, a crow-bar or thelike, G is inserted between the base flange F and flange [2 of thebracket, and is fulcrummed: and, rocked in an obvious manner to pry theflange 12 away from the base flange of therail until suflicient. stressand strain is placed on the fracturable area M to crack it, whileleaving the attached. flange [2 still in place on the web. of the-rail.In practice,

I have found that it is also possible to take a.

punch and a sledge hammer (not shown) and to hammer against the solidend portion; [5, as shownv in Figure 3, to produce the desiredfracturing result.

Referring now to Figure 6, itwill be seen that.

combination with. the other parts their use in,

initial. stages are-shown in Figure 1. Figure 5v brings out the mode ofusing a cross-bar or the like in fracturing and breaking loose one ofthe bIPfiketS. from the, attached flange, and. these in.

combination with Figure 6, serve to reveal the construction,v featuresand. advantages, and all essential aspects of the; invention.

Changes in. shape, size, materials andrearrangement of details and partsmay be resorted to in actual practice, so long as they. do not depart.from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims, asis well understood.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. A rail. cable bonding fixture comprising a one-piece body including apair of separate attaching flanges at approximate right angles to eachother, and an open ended sleeve-like socket heavily built and solidlyintegrated, with said flanges at the junctural connecting regions, ofsaid-flanges, the junctural regions of, saidflanges being materiallydecreased in. thickness, to pro! vide relatively fragile and fracturableareas, whereby to allow one flange to be permanently welded and theother left free of attachment, in the manner and for the purposes setforth.

2. In a track construction of the class shown and described, incombination, a pair of endto-end rails, a flshplate bridging andadjoining said rails, a bonding cable, and a pair of duplicate cableanchoring fixtures provided with sockets, the ends of said cable beingfastened in their respective sockets, said fixtures each having rightangularly related flat attaching flanges integrated with thecomplemental socket, corresponding flanges of said fixtures beingsecurely welded to the web portions of said rails, and the remainingattaching flanges of said fixtures abutting the base flanges of saidrails but being free from connection with said base flanges, whereby topermit said sockets and their free flanges to be pried loose, leavingthe attached flanges in place on said web portions and permitting saidsockets and freed, flanges to be salvaged and re-used.

3. In a track construction of the class shown and described, incombination, a pair of end-toend rails, a fish-plate bridging and.adjoining said, rails, a bonding cable, and a pair of. duplicate cableanchoring fixtures attached to the,

ends of. said bonding cable, each fixture embody ing a relatively heavyopen ended sleeve forming a, socket, the end of the cable be'ng securelymounted in said socket, and each fixture embodying a pair of individualattaching flanges,

the inner ends of the respectiveflanges being,-

integrated with a coasting portion of the socket, said inner ends beingrelatively thin and the outer end portion being relatively thick, thethin portions being frangible to permit forcible fracturing of the same,corresponding flanges of said fixtures being securely welded to the webportions efsaid rails, and the remaining attaching flanges of saidfixtures abutting the base flanges,

of said rails but having no direct connection with,

- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STAHS PATENTS Number Name Date 1,461,061 I-Iaulton- 'July 10,1923, 1,634,689 Schenk July 5, 1927 1,643,755 Stiles Sept; 27, 192';1,945,404 Mosebach Jan. 30; 1934

